HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- A pair of black bear sightings just 12 miles apart are drawing attention across social media.
One sighting occurred Wednesday on Kennewick Road in Mount Holly. Another one happened Thursday morning in Huntersville just a couple hundred yards from I-77.
Several employees at Hughes Plumbing off Northcross Drive looked out the back door and saw a black bear poking along the tree line in the back of the parking lot. Marvin Bouknight of Discovery Place Nature says we don’t normally see bears in the Piedmont but it’s not unheard of.
A video surfaced Wednesday on Facebook showing a black bear in Mount Holly. Exactly one year ago, NBC Charlotte captured video of a bear running around downtown Hickory.
“They’re just moving through the neighborhoods, looking for food,” Bouknight said.
Fortunately, the people that took the video of these bears were a safe distance away. But if you do unexpectedly come face to face with a black bear, there are a couple things you can do.
“Make a loud noise, clap your hands, yell and they’ll turn and haul tail the other way,” Bouknight said.
Black bears are most dangerous if they cornered. If you give them space, they’ll probably just leave.
Unless we accidentally provide a source of food.
“They love bird feeders,” Bouknight said. “They will tear a bird feeder up to get the bird seed.”
Black bears also are also attracted to trash cans, remnants of a juicy steak on the grill or pet food left outside.
Black bears call about 60 percent of the Tar Heel state home. So even if it’s rare to see one in this area, any time you spend in the mountains or near the coast there’s always a chance.